If your demands are being met you have power, if not you don’t have power.
Comment on Movie industry demands US law requiring ISPs to block piracy websites
TheFriar@lemm.ee 7 months ago
Isn’t it fucking crazy that “industry demands ____” is likely to come to fruition, but “group of individuals demands XYZ” isn’t likely to change shit?
I demand better living conditions. We all demand an economy that doesn’t favor the rich. Not shit will change.
Companies “demand” shit and then just literally write the laws and hand them to legislators who pass them.
gap_betweenus@lemmy.world 7 months ago
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Companies “demand” shit and then just literally write the laws and hand them to legislators who pass them.
Well, Congress only hears one side, they don’t read Lemmy to get the other side.
They have no respect for their constituency, because they think their constituency doesn’t care enough to engage them about it, and are ‘dumb’ enough to vote them back in the office again.
TheFriar@lemm.ee 7 months ago
There was a study recently that showed legislators’ votes are affected by like .3% by input from constituents. I’ll try to find it again, but I can’t say I’m surprised.
CosmicCleric@lemmy.world 7 months ago
There was a study recently that showed legislators’ votes are affected by like .3% by input from constituents. I’ll try to find it again, but I can’t say I’m surprised.
I’ve seen it, but it doesn’t take into account what would happen if the percentage of the electorate that actually participated in the system were to increase by large amounts.
Right now there is so little interaction done by the electorate with their representatives.
I guarantee you that if 50% of the electorate all started contacting their senators and house reps often, on different various issues, things would matter/change.
So my point still stands.
If you just sit at home reading Lemmy, they’re not going to take you seriously, and they’re not going to look out for your best interest, but instead they’re going to look out for their own best interests, which is usually getting money from corporations that they used to win elections, because they know they can still get re-elected even when they disrespect their electorate. Unfortunately.
TL;DR: If you don’t engage, nothing will change.
TheFriar@lemm.ee 7 months ago
But during the trump years, those figures spiked big time. Especially with services like resistbot. The amount of form letters and shitty Republican legislators using my contact as some sort of consent on my part to join their fucking mailing lists?
Not to mention, these legislators are insulated from their constituents pretty effectively. If you do manage to get someone on the phone (I never did. Ever.), it’ll be an aide that might summarize the general tone of the calls and e-mails. I mean…the system is rigged for people with money.
I get the feeling of wanting to change that. But I don’t think the system that has been further and further adulterated to those will ever provide us the solution.
mPony@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Remember, they pass them without reading them.
BorgDrone@lemmy.one 7 months ago
No, but they do read their bank account statement before passing to see if the
bribecampaign donation was paid in time.